Refrigerator car structure



Sept 16, l9M- E. E. scHLEslNGER 2,255,900 v REFRIGERATOR CAR STRUCTURE Filed Jul`y 20, 1958 2 Sheets--SheerI l [cigar E, 56h {e5/'ngerl SeP- 16,1941- E. E.. SCHLESINGER r 2,255,900

REFRIGERATOR CARA STRUCTURE Filed July 20, 1958 l 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 16, 1941 REFRIGERATOR CAR STRUCTURE Edgar E. Schlesinger, Chicago, Ill., assigner to Standard Railway Company, Chicago, ware Equipment Manufacturing Ill., a corporation of Dela- Application July 20, 1938, Serial N 0. 220,226

6 Claims.

This invention relates to refrigerator cars used to transport perishable commodities and more particularly to cars having a refrigerant container in each end of the car. The refrigerant containers are separated from the lading compartment by bulkheads rigidly secured to the car structure. The bulkheads must have sufficient strength to resist the impact of the lading when the car starts or stops suddenly.

Bulkheads are usually supported by a series of vertically disposed posts. It has been common practice to attach said posts rigidly 'to the roof structure and to the floor. Disadvantages of this lconstruction are that it obstructs the passage of air beneath the bulkhead and that the connection of the bulkhead posts to the floor provides a source of leakage into the insulation, consequently, a new type of bulkhead post has been developed recently. It is connected, as formerly', to the roof but has an angularly disposed brace projecting from its lower end. The brace extends under the ice grate and is attached to the end wall of the car above the end sill, thus eliminating the connection at the floor.

It is apparent, then, that since the lading thrust is usually concentrated at the lower part of the bulkhead, said thrust must be resisted by the end wall of the car.

The end wall of a refrigerator car, as cornmonly constructed, derives vits strength from a metallic sheet formed with horizontal corrugations extending effectively between the corner posts of the car. The present trend in railway car construction is toward lighter Weights and a corresponding decrease in rigidity, while the latest type of bulkhead tends to increase the thrust on the Walls of the car.y This thrust is more or less localized at one or two corrugations near the bottom of the corrugated end sheet.

It is an object of this invention to reinforce the end of a car against the bulkhead thrust by providing an auxiliary beam upon which said bulkhead thrust is imposed. It is a further object to form said beam to conform substantially to the contour of the corrugations and to attach the beam independently of the corrugated sheet. Said beam is not secured to the corrugated sheet because it is desired not to impair the natural resilience of said sheet.

Another object of the-invention is to attach the beam to the side sills of the car, thus diverting the bulkhead thrust from the end of the car to the more rigid underframe.

A further object of the invention is to provide gussets associated with the reinforcing beam and attached to the side sills and corner posts of the car. This not only provides a rigid attachment for the beam, but also reinforces the corner construction of the car.

It is another object of the invention to position the reinforcing beam substantially Within a corrugation of the end sheet so as not to impair the insulating efficiency of the end wall or increase its overall thickness.

Another object is to attach said beam to the end sill of the car to further facilitate transmitting the bulkhead thrust to the underframe of the car.

It is a further object'to provide the compressive edge of said beam with a flange to increase its strength as a column and, therefore, increase its overall etciency.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a partial end elevation of a refrigerator car embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1, some of the parts having been' omitted to show more clearly the construction and attachrnent of the beam.

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a section on line 4 4 of Fig. 2.

Figs. 5 and 6 show Inodied constructions.

The end sill 2 and the side sills 3 are secured together by the rivets 4. The corner posts 5 are preferably of W-section having flanges 6 1 and reanges 8 9. The end wall of the car comprises a metallic sheet i formed with a plurality of horizontally disposed major corrugations II and preferably with minor corrugations I2 between the corrugations II and near the ends thereof. The sheet Il] is secured at its edges I3 to corner portions I4 preferably by Welding. The corner portions I4 are formed with corrugations I 5 which engage the corrugations lI I2 in the sheet I0. The corrugations I5 merge into a plane adjacent the opposite edge iS of the corner portion I4. The reange 9 of the corner post 5, the edge I6 of the corner portion I4, the side sheathing Il and the vertical leg of the side sill 3 are secured together, while the reflange 8 of the corner posts, the end sheet I0, the corner portion I4 and the vertical leg of the end sill 2 are also secured together to form a strong box construction at the cornerof the car.

The bulkhead 2Q is supported by bulkhead posts 2l secured at their upper ends to the roof of the car and having braces 22 projecting from the lower ends thereof. Wooden stringers 2 3 24 are held in place by the bolts 25 and clips 26. Brackets Z'I are secured by bolts 2& 29 to the stringers 23, which are within the corrugations II. The braces 22 are secured to the brackets 2l by the bolts 3l! and a spreader block 3| is provided to distribute the thrust from the braces 22. Ice grates 35 are supported at one end by the rackets 2l and at the other end by the bulkhead posts 2l. The screen 3G provides a passagev 31 for air movement. Other parts of the car shown in Fig. 3 are refrigerant space 4U, lading compartment 4I, door rack 42, door 43, sub-licor 44, drip Vby the rivets 55 to the flanges isaid beam bulkhead and means interposed between said 70 pan 45, end lining 46 and insulation 41. The parts of the car are proportioned so that the portion of the insulation 41 disposed between the stringer 24 and spreader block 3l is compressed to a substantially incompressible mass. 5 preferably Y tioned within the corrugation ll and is in contact therewith throughout substantially lits entirelength. The reinforcement 50 has formed integral with it a lower part 52 secured to the end sill 2 by the rivets 53. Grussets 54 are prefer- 15 ably formed integral with the reinforcement 50 at each end thereof. The gussets 54 are secured 6 of the corner posts 5 and are provided with flanges 56 which are secured by the rivets 4-51to the end sill 2 20 and side sills 3. The beam 5| is not secured to the sheet l because it is desired not to decrease the resilience of the sheet I0.

. Fig. shows a construction in which a flange 65 is formed on the upper edge of the reinforce- 25 ment 50. When a thrust occurs against the bulkhead 29 the thrust is transmitted by the braces 22 to the beam 5l. Since the tendency ofthe thrust is to `bow the beam 5l outwardly the inner side of said beam is in compression. The ange 30 65 stiffens the compressive edge against buckling and, therefore, strengthens the beam as a whole.

Fig. 6 shows a modification in which both` the upper and lower edges of the reinforcement 'l0 are free so that the resilience of the said reink forcement is not impaired by attachment tothe rigid end sill 2.

It should be emphasized thatthe reinforcement 5) isV not a common strengthening member secured to the sheet I. It is a beam having a .40 contour substantially similar to the contour of fthe sheet corrugation ll so that their deflections will be proportional. Furthermore, the natural resilience of the sheet I0 is left unimpaired by attaching the reinforcement separately from 4V the sheet In. A thrust upon the bulkhead zo is, 0 therefore, transmitted by the braces 22 through the spreader block 3l to the reinforcement 5D and thence by the gussets 54 to the underframe comprising side sills 3 and end sill 2. 50 rIhe accompanying drawings illustrate the preferred form of the invention, though it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, as it is obvious that various modifications thereof, within thescope ofthe claims, will .55,

Y occur to persons skilled in the art.

I claim: Y

1. In arefrigerator car having a longitudinally extending sill, spaced apart substantially verticalA corner posts, a horizontally 'corrugated end wall sheet extending therebetween and secured thereto, spaced apart sidewalls, a bulkhead extending between said side walls in spaced rela- `tion to the end wall sheet to provide a refrigerant chamber therebetween in combination with a substantially horizontal beam nestingin a corrugation of the end wall sheet, means to secure to said sill, a brace secured to said brace and said sill to transmit horizontal Vforces fromv said brace to said beam.

2k. In alrefrigerator car having corner posts, a

horizontally corrugated end wall sheet extending between and secured to said posts, side sills, side walls, a bulkhead extending between said side walls in spaced relation to the end wall sheet to provide a refrigerating chamber, incombination with a beam positioned substantially within the lowermost corrugation of the corrugated end wall sheet, gussets securing the ends of the beam to the side sills, and a brace secured to said bulkhead and means interposed between said brace and said beam to transmit horizontal forces irnposed upon said bulkhead to said beam.

3. In a refrigerator car having an end sill, corner posts, a horizontally corrugated end wall sheet extending between and secured to said side posts, side sills, side walls, a bulkhead extendingbetween said side walls in spaced relation to the end wall sheet to provide a refrigerating chamber, in combination with a beam positioned substantially within one of the corrug-ations of the corrugated end Wall sheet and having a part secured to said end sill, means to secure the ends of said beam to the side sills, a brace secured to said bulkhead, and means interposed between said brace and said beam to transmit horizontal forces imposed upon said bulkhead to said beam and said end sill.

4. In a refrigerator car having corner posts, a horizontally corrugated end wall sheet extending between and secured to said posts, side sills, side walls, a bulkhead extending between said side walls in spaced relation to the end wall sheet to provide a refrigeratingY chamber, in combination with a beam positioned substantially Within one of the corrugations o-f the corrugated end wall sheet, gussets securing the end s of the beam to the side sills, a brace secured to said bulkhead, and means interposed between said brace and said'beam to transmit horizontal forces imposed upon said bulkhead to said beam, said gussets being also secured to said postsso as to stiffen the corner of the car.

5. In a refrigerator car having corner posts, a horizontally corrugated end wall sheet extending between and secured to said posts, side walls, a bulkhead extending between said side walls in. spaced relation to the end wall sheet to provide a refrigerating chamber, in Y combination with a beam positioned substantially Within one of the corrugations of the corrugated end wall sheet but free Yto function as a beam independently thereof, gussets securing the ends of the beam to the side walls Y independently of the corrugated end wall sheet, a brace secured to said bulkhead, and means interposed between said brace and said beam to transmit horizontal forcesv imposed upon Vsaid bulkhead vto said beam. Y

6. In a refrigerator car having spaced apart substantially vertical corner posts, a horizontally corrugated end Wall sheet extending ,therebetween and secured thereto, spaced apart side walls, a bulkheadv extending between said side walls in spaced relation to the end wall sheet to provide a refrigerant chamber'therebetween in combination with a substantially horizontal' beam nesting in a corrugation of the end wall Vsheets, means to secure vsaid beam to theY car L structure, a brace secured 'tosaid bulkhead, and

means interposed betweenl said brace and said beam to transmit horizontal forces from said v brace to said beam.

EDGAR E. SCI-lliESINGER. 

